


Hand over Fist: Empire

by FifthDancer



Series: Hand Over Fist [1]
Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Romance, Training
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:07:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29979885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FifthDancer/pseuds/FifthDancer
Summary: “I sense Lord Vader will not have the strength to destroy Young Skywalker. Therefore you, my servant, will have the task of retrieving him for me.”“As you wish, my master.”
Series: Hand Over Fist [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2205174
Kudos: 5





	1. Prologue

**It is a dark time for the rebellion. Although the Death Star has been destroyed, Imperial troops have driven the Rebel forces from their hidden base and pursued them across the galaxy.**

**Evading the dreaded Imperial Starfleet, a group of freedom fighters led by Luke Skywalker has established a new secret base on the remote ice world of Hoth.**

**The evil lord Darth Vader, obsessed with finding young Skywalker, has dispatched thousands of remote probes into the far reaches of space, unaware another has been sent to seek out the young Jedi to be….**

The Imperial Star Destroyer Devastator slid its way across the quiet darkness of space, alone for the moment; save for the stars. From within its hangar, dozens of small devices began to emerge, releasing small whistles of signal as their engines ignited and they dispersed into the unknown of space. Many would find only barren rock at the ends of their journey, tasked as they were to find the scattered fragments of the Rebel Alliance on the unknown and unimpressive planets still scattered throughout the galaxy.

One of the probes descended onto a blue and white world, the surface covered by frozen wastes. It glowed a bright orange, plummeting through the atmosphere; building up the little heat the world could offer, before impacting in an explosion of snow and stone. From within the crater, a strange droid rose on its repulsor lifts. It was black, with various eyes and dangling claw-like appendages from its double-disk body.

As the Imperial Probe droid began its leisurely wander across the ice fields, one of the native beasts happened to be coming relatively near. Mounted atop the mixture of horse and goat, Luke Skywalker rode his Tauntaun to a nearby ridge before removing his mask and goggles to observe the land. As per its want, Hoth was just as barren as always, barring a few spots of bare rock and the periodic impacts from celestial stones, native to the system.

Luke removed a pair of macrobinoculars from his side, watching a recent impact as a strange sensation rippled through him. It was as if the universe had shifted for a moment; a key event happening or failing to happen, which would forever alter those which came after. Shaking the feeling aside, he put down his device and brushed at the snow compacted on his left arm. A few good swipes left his comlink exposed to the air, and he keyed for short-range transmission.

“Echo-3 to Echo-7. Han, old buddy, do you read me?” He asked.

“Loud and clear, kid!” Came the somewhat muffled reply, either by static or snow within the speaker he didn’t know. “What’s up?”

“Well I finished my circle. I don’t pick up any life readings.”

“There isn’t enough life on this ice cube to fill a space cruiser,” Han asserted, as he had when they’d arrived. “Sensors are placed. I’m going back.”

Luke glanced across to where he recalled Han’s route was set, catching sight of a distant mount heading towards the base. That was Han, alright.

“Right, I’ll see you shortly. There’s a meteorite that hit the ground near here, I want to check it out. It won’t take long.”

Lowering his arm, Luke prepared to ride towards the impact when his own steed began to bay and roll its head in distress. He quickly took hold of the reins and tried to calm the beast.

“Steady, girl. What’s the matter? You smell something?” He soothed, rubbing its wide neck.

He turned for a moment, another hint of The Force Obi-wan had taught him about giving him only the slightest warning before danger struck. A great, horned and bipedal beast had emerged from the surrounding snow; its roar and outstretched paw catching him across the back before he could even reach for his weapon.

Luke hit the ground, unconscious, as his Tauntaun was slain. As he was dragged towards the beast’s cave, Luke dreamt of the shift he’d felt only moments before.

_ He beheld the armored figure and unmistakable helmet of Darth Vader, the man who had cut down both his mentor and his father, bearing down on him in a dark place, the ambient light behind the dark jedi making his silhouette more ominous than ever before. He held his father’s blue-white weapon up in the defensive position he’d seen Obi-Wan use, wondering if he would face the same fate as his old teacher had. The red saber hissed out its own hilt, brought to a mirror pose; the two blades crossing into an X, mere centimeters apart. _

_ Vader drew back for a strike, and Luke brought up his defense to match the blow. The impact sent a wave of pain up his arms, the powerful impact jarring his oddly positioned arms. Another swing to his other side, and a return to his left again; each blow parried only just with the vast difference in strength. _

_ The blade drew back once more, but before it could come to another attack, Luke swung his own blade upwards, almost catching the switches on his adversary’s chest, before bringing his lightsaber back down in a two-handed chopping motion. _

_ The red blade came cross-wise to intercept the blow, but Vader still was knocked down by the attack. Luke brought his arms back up, repeating the blow to the downed warrior again and again. The multitude of heavy strikes wore down the black figure, and with a final swing he twisted and curved the last return to pull the crimson saber’s beam away from its defensive position, leaving the way for his next attack to destroy the traitor. _

_ But something strange caught Luke’s attention. As he brought his blade back, things seemed different somehow. The lighting changed, the red and blue ambience from their weapons seeming to change in hue, and Luke noticing subtle changes in both combatants as well. Whatever he’d been wearing had suddenly changed; now a black uniform with dark gloves. And Vader too was changed. Instead of the terrifying mask below the brim of his all too familiar helmet, there was instead an indistinct face wreathed in red-gold hair. The figure raised a hand in fear, trying to defend themselves as their indigo blade was held down by a dark boot. Luke hesitated, and in doing so saw- _

Horrified, Luke jolted awake, flailing in the air as his brain reeled from unconsciousness, and tried to make sense of what had happened to it. The dream faded, and even the memory of it began to fog away, Luke felt again that strange shift in the worlds. But such things could wait. His immediate situation was much more… precarious, than he cared for.


	2. Hoth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The shift begins

The Imperial Star Destroyer  _ Tyrant  _ bore down on the burning planet below, preparing to intercept the rebellious ships as they raced for the safety of hyperspace beyond Hoth’s gravity well. A trio of the craft seemed to race towards the embrace of their weapons range, and from the cockpit of her stealthed TIE Advanced: the Emperor’s Hand watched her bait take the barrage of ion bolts it had so inexpertly allowed to strike it. While normally she would have had to sneak down either aboard a ship or through the enemy firepower, this situation provided certain advantages.

The two X-wing fighters, along with their blocky transport, rocketed past her without so much as a twitch of their astromechs to indicate they’d seen her. Watching the surface through both her sensors and the distant touch of the Force, she counted the seconds between this and the next opening of the shield.

She waited for the third opening before her hands found the control levers to her ship and activated the start-up. While the useless destroyer floated alongside her and the rebels sent out another group, she angled for the ground. This time, the escort fighters couldn’t help but see her. The twin, bent wings of her fighter screaming through space towards them likely terrified the poor fools still trying to open up their s-foils.

But they were not her target. Passing within a few meters of one, and strafing the hull of their unwieldy transport, she blasted through the opening in the shield before it could close again and lock her out. In their desperation to leave and avoid the imperial forces, she doubted they’d take the time to call back in, but it didn’t matter overly much.

Rather than heading to aid the walkers lumbering their way towards the base, the Hand reached out to the Force, detecting the various echoes of beings who could touch it as well. A handful of bright and dark clusters flickered here and there on the battlefields both above and below, with three standing out in particular. One was the great void coming towards the base, which she recognized immediately as Vader. The others were more confusing. The second was just as strong as Vader, but as light as he was dark, in the battle itself. Probably Skywalker, but then again…

The third was within the base, stronger than even the light of the pilot in the battle. But that one was clustered with many small lights. Maybe just a pair or trio of moderately powerful beings who seemed to be one. No, it would be better to focus on the distant light. Skywalker was a pilot, and a front-line leader, and wouldn’t be hiding in the base.

She eventually selected a patch of bare rock between them and the small cluster of fighters and ships prepping to take off on the far side. If she attacked them now, she might kill or scare off her quarry. Better to let him think he was safe and intercept.

Kicking up the snow around the angular panels of her ship, the Hand landed on the ridgeline and allowed her Danger Sense to alert her to any threats before shutting down. Now, she needed to simply wait for him to cross her path, and make quick work of the boy.

Selecting her weapons carefully, the Hand took a moment before popping the hatch. She wore her usual sleeveless jumpsuit, as well as her tan cape for protection against the snow and wind; regretting being unable to wear her concealed wrist holster. She settled for her usual blaster at her hip, the single-hand, violet lightsaber she used, and the strange request her master had given her.

Looking at her hand through the goggles she’d selected to keep her eyes fresh before the interception, the Hand inspected the strange lightsaber the Emperor had told her to use against Skywalker. Supposedly Vader had found it on the Death Star before its destruction, and using it would throw Skywalker off balance. Despite the reassurance, the Hand had been unable to get it to activate, and she’d had no time or tools to inspect it for issues. Still, she would keep it on her belt, just in case.

A flicker in her danger sense made her whip around, eyeing the battle with a strange sense of worry. There was nothing coming towards her, neither imperial or those blasted rebels. Yet, she felt a sense of suspense. A glance through her quickly retrieved macrobinoculars gave her answer. One of the rough speeder shuttles had been shot down, and recently stepped on by the Imperial Walker it had been running after. Beneath the vicious machine, an orange clad figure was ascending on a grappling hook.

The Hand felt a flicker of anticipation when the brilliant blue of a lightsaber appeared under the skirt of the walker, and she realized her guess had been right. She lowered her viewing aid, grinning wryly, and tossed them back into her fighter. Then, leisurely heading to a spot midway between Skywalker and the fighter field, she palmed her saber.

He took much longer than she’d expected, before the vibrant uniform of a rebel pilot appeared over the snow, but his reaction was almost worth it. Staring up, caked in ice and snow, a young would-be Jedi. She on the other hand, untouched by the wastes, with an indigo blade extended at her side.

Skywalker was quick on the uptake, she’d give him that. He’d barely hesitated at seeing her to pull free his own saber and reignite it. His stance was clearly defensive, the hilt in two hands and parallel to his chest. She didn’t move, leaving her own body loose and her weapon angled at the ground. She didn’t need to do much more than get a stun round off, and dragging him a shorter distance would be best.

But Skywalker didn’t play nice. Instead of charging her or approaching at all, he skirted around towards her side, keeping the distance between them equivalent. Growling slightly, she began to walk after him.

He wasn’t so foolish as to keep running when she was on the move, and halted about halfway past her to resume his stance. She came within saber distance, when he surprised her again. He wanted to talk.

“Who are you?”

She didn’t dignify it with a response. The farmboy naivete was less than comforting in the cold. Instead, she leveled her blade at his chest, proving she wasn’t here for banter. The fool jerked back, evidently terrified. She wondered if he’d ever fought against a lightsaber before.

A tentative swing on her part, a competent enough catch on his. She continued a few probing moves, watching as he settled into his comfort zone and began to fight back with more speed and confidence. She attempted a stab, and smiled when he stumbled, evidently not adept in countering such a move.

Grinning at his ameture level, she continued with her single hand, using her other to pull free her goggles and get a better look at this kid. He seemed to start with surprise as her hood came down and her face was revealed. She raised an eyebrow, wondering if it would be that easy. She knew she was quite the looker, especially compared to whatever women he might have seen on the backwaters he’d been to, but even he couldn’t be so stupid as to let that fool him.

But no, it almost seemed like he recognized her. That was, of course, impossible. She had a perfect memory, and she’d never even heard of him before the Emperor had passed down his capture mission. But the look was… unmistakable. And the way he kept looking at her saber- no, her wrist?

The Hand’s danger sense only just pulled her from her reverie in time to block a furious swipe at her chest. She focused back onto the present, and realized he’d somehow become angry. Was it her realization of his focus? No, it was something else. She spared a glance down to her wrist, and noticed the silver hilt of the other saber. Ah, he recognized it.

“Where did you get that?!” He nearly screamed at her, his blue saber flashing wildly at her.

Again, she didn’t dignify him with an answer, merely moving on the evasive and placing a few taps on his legs. Nothing to injure him or even scar overly much, but burns that would sting and get him to realize that she was much better than he was, and not the one answering questions today.

Skywalker’s face went from enraged to mortified faster than she expected he was able to change expression, and the flurry of attacks stopped. She gave her saber a spin to free up her wrist, and tapped the hilt with a finger. Her message was clear, and his grimace showed he understood.

_ If you want it, come get it. _

She half expected him to impale himself on one of the two sabers as he charged, and quickly sidestepped. The Emperor had instructed her to bring him in alive, and she wouldn’t be messing up that order if she could help it. He impacted in the snow, and was turning back around when she fired her stunning round into his back.

The blue on blue almost convinced her she’d hit her target, but evidently his danger sense was pretty comparable to hers. He’d rolled and twisted just right to catch the circular bolt on the tip of his saber, generating a small flash that gave him the single second needed to get back to his feet.

The Hand was just about done testing what she could and couldn’t do to take him, when he swung away from her, his blade moving to connect with something red. Her own sense and weapon moved almost synchronously, deflecting the hail of blaster bolts headed her way. It was clear they weren’t aimed at Skywalker, but the firees were too far away to accurately hit her and miss him.

He took a few steps away and won towards the blaster fire, clearing the zone enough that he could deactivate his blade. The Hand frowned, trying to send a few back to the little squad of pilots at the base of the ridge, but they were too distant for the deflected bolts to hit anything but snow when they finally returned. She fired a few stun rounds down at them, trying to buy herself time, when a tug came from her waist.

The blade from the Emperor was tugged violently from her belt, and soared into Skywalker’s outstretched hand. He gave her a mocking grin and raced down to his confederates. She tried not to scream, and slashed the snow before her. The heat of her blade instantly vaporized the powder, sending up a cloud to block her retreat.

Skywalker would be on his way to his fighter now, and even she couldn’t break a full company of aware rebels on flat terrain without one of them dying. So, she had only one option: track him until he landed again.

She nearly flew to her fighter, reactivating the barely lukewarm engines and kicking it into a race for the field. She’d never catch him before he was in his little X-wing, but she could certainly use a direct line of sight to tap his hyperdrive coordinates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome, my friends!  
> I don’t have much to say to you today, so why don’t you speak instead. Tell me what you think of my first attempt at story on this site? And yes, before you ask: I am playing it safe, and I have posted on other sites in a less controlled capacity.


End file.
